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Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Indian Army Chief
General Bikram Singh today left for the US to further the defence cooperation
between the two countries and increase defence engagements under the
2005-signed New Framework for India-US Defence Relations.

The Indo-US
Defence Cooperation is one of the most intense bilateral engagements between
the two countries outside the framework of structured alliances. Since 2005 the
two countries have conducted some 30 exercises from the Air Force, Navy and the
Army.

General Bikram
Singh will visit important establishments of the US Armed Forces and meet
high-ranking defence and civilian officials. The Army Chief will also be
inducted into ‘The Hall of Fame’ at the Army War College, of which he is an
alumnus having done the course in 2004, as also the recipient of the
‘International Toastmasters Award’ for public speaking.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131203/main2.htm

Pakistan pitches
for full-spectrum dialogue with India

Tribune News
Service

New Delhi,
December 2

The Pakistan army
headquarters has issued a directive to its corps commanders and troops not to
initiate anything that could be construed as a violation of the ceasefire with
India along the Line of Control (LoC), outgoing Pakistan High Commissioner
Salman Bashir said today.

At a media
interaction at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club here, he said both countries
had also asked their respective DGMOs to fix a date for a rare face-to-face
meeting between them, as was agreed upon between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York.

His comments are
significant in view of the rapid deterioration in relations between the two
countries following the beheading of an Indian soldier in January and frequent
ceasefire violations thereafter by Pakistani troops, which led New Delhi to put
the dialogue on hold. Pitching for the resumption of a “full-spectrum” dialogue
between the two countries, Bashir said he had reasons to believe that bilateral
relations would be on an “upward trajectory” in the coming months, if not
sooner.

He emphasised that
Pakistan was not in any way seeking to underestimate the Mumbai attacks while
calling for the resumption of dialogue. A lot of time had been lost due to
various reasons, but things were now moving in the right direction in taking
the trial of the accused to its conclusion.

He was hopeful
that speedy steps would be taken in Pakistan so that ‘’we can put aside what is
an emotive issue in India”.

Bashir Speak

Troops told not to initiate anything that
can be construed as a violation of the ceasefire along the LoC

Need to resume dialogue between the two countries
as a lot of time has been lost due to various reasons

Won’t allow pushing the Jammu and Kashmir
and Siachen issues to the side, all issues need to be settled peacefully

Withdrawal of
American troops from Afghanistan and the issue procurement of ultra light
howitzers are expected to be high on the agenda of Army chief Gen Bikram Singh
during his four-day visit to the US starting today.

During the
three-day tour, Gen Singh would also be inducted in the US Army War College
'Hall of Fame'. He had done a course from there in 2004, Army officials said
here.

"The visit
assumes special significance in the light of enhanced defence cooperation
between the two countries over the last few years and rapidly increasing
defence engagements under the new framework for India-US defence
relations," an Army release said.

During the India
visit of his US counterpart, Gen Singh had raised the issue of withdrawal of
American troops from Afghanistan and the resultant security situation in the
region after that.

He had expressed
his concern over the emerging security scenario there.

The Army chief is
also expected to discuss the ongoing defence procurement cases between the two
sides including the procurement of M-777 ultra light howitzers which are being
bought from the US.

Noting that
present cooperation between the two sides was on a rise, the Army release said
it "encompasses equipment procurement, exchange of delegations, training
and conduct of joint exercises. It is notable the US undertakes maximum number
of joint exercises with India amongst all nations."

During his stay,
the Army chief will visit important establishments of the US military and meet
a number of high- ranking defence and civilian officials.

After heading the Pakistan army for six years,
General Ashfaque Parvez Kayani on Friday handed over charge to the new Chief of
Army Staff General Raheel Sharif at a ceremony in Rawalpindi.

Speaking on the
occasion General Kayani dwelt on the sacrifices of the soldiers and the range
of challenges for the military. He referred to the role of the army in
establishing peace in some of the country’s most difficult areas after taking
on terrorism. He also underscored the support of the military and its
contribution to the nation.

General Kayani was
the army chief for six years, all during civilian rule and given an extension
after three years by the previous regime. He called on people to rise above
sectarian and other prejudices and play a positive role for the development of
the country. He also said the army was ready to meet internal and external
challenges. He had earlier publicly supported the government’s move for a
dialogue with Taliban.

He retires after
serving the army for 44 years and he said it was a great honour for him to lead
the institution. In October General Kayani responding to rumours about his post
retirement future, said that institutions and traditions are stronger than
individuals and must take precedence. He also indicated that the armed forces
of Pakistan fully support and want to strengthen this democratic order.

His statement had
come after intense speculation that he would be made Chairman Joint Chiefs of
Staff Committee (CJCSC) in a new and more powerful avatar after General Khalid
Shameem Wynne retired. During the All Parties Conference in September General Kayani
had indicated the army’s support for a dialogue process with the Taliban. Later
he refuted talk that he favoured a dialogue since army operations had failed to
root out terrorism. He defended the military operation in Swat as an example
where the army was successful and had even helped people who were internally
displaced to return home. On India too he had regretted what he described as
“unfortunate, unfounded and provocative” some statements by the Indian military
leadership, particularly, the Indian Army chief alleging Pakistan Army and the
ISI’s support to terrorism. He had supported Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s
peace overtures to India and said the Pakistan Army is fully supportive of the
peace process initiated by the government.

The government’s
readiness to appoint a four-star general as India’s first tri-service military
chief, reported in this paper on Monday (“Government poised to appoint
tri-service chief”, December 2), will be widely welcomed. For decades, India’s
strategic community has urged the creation of a single-point military advisor
to the government, who would also oversee matters that relate to all three
services.

Yet, it would be
insufficient to merely appoint army chief, General Bikram Singh, as the first
permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC), and bump
up Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Anil Chait as army chief. If these appointments
are not accompanied by structural reform, they might seem no more than cynical
ploys with an eye on the coming elections.

It must be
remembered that the Naresh Chandra Task Force (NCTF) last year recommended the
appointment of a permanent Chairman COSC as a “half-way house”. This was after
the ministry of defence (MoD) had shrunk from appointing an empowered five-star
officer as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), which the Kargil Review Committee had
recommended in 1999 and a Group of Ministers (GoM) subsequently endorsed in
2001. An earlier compromise involved the setting up of an Integrated Defence
Staff (IDS), commanded by a three-star officer, which has not succeeded in
taking on many functions from an army, navy and air force that guard their turf
zealously. Without structural empowerment of the new Chairman COSC, he might
turn out to be no more than an IDS chief with one additional star.

“The approach recommended by
the Naresh Chandra Task Force is to create an organisation around an
appointment rather than create an organisation and then consider appointments
best suited for the system,” says Rajneesh Singh of the Institute for Defence
Studies and Analyses.

The first structural issue
that must be addressed, say analysts like Dr Anit Mukherjee, is the absence of
integration between the MoD and the three service headquarters. Instead of
manning MoD departments with a mix of bureaucrats and military personnel who
function jointly, there is a bizarre two-stage system in which the military
proposes and the MoD rejects. Army, navy and air force headquarters, which are
categorised as “attached offices” to the MoD, submit proposals and
recommendations to the MoD for sanction. The MoD, with every crucial
decision-making position manned by non-specialised civilians, seldom accepts
these proposals. Usually these are sent back with queries, with this back and
forth delaying action endlessly.

The mere appointment of a
permanent Chairman COSC will do little to resolve this issue. The new
appointment must be charged with ensuring substantive integration between the
MoD and the three services, in coordination with the defence secretary. The
COSC headquarters must have an even mix of military officers and bureaucrats,
with cross-posting being extended to the MoD and the service headquarters.

A second identified problem is
the unhealthy concentration of power within the three military headquarters.
The service chiefs function as chiefs of staff and also commanders-in-chief,
managing the gamut of operations, policy planning, human resources, training
and equipping. With operations understandably enjoying precedence, there is
little emphasis on long range force structuring, equipment planning and human
resource development.

One solution is to charge
theatre commanders with responsibility for operations, while army, navy and air
force headquarters could handle policy planning, force structuring and
administration. The COSC’s integrated headquarters could handle inter-service
coordination, with the Chairman COSC the government’s go-to person for military
matters.

Creating the structures for
this separation must be a specified task of the new Chairman COSC. One option
is the creation of US-style integrated theatre commands, with regional
commanders allocated army, navy and air force units for their operational
tasks. For example, the currently separate southern commands of the army, navy
and air force could be integrated into a single tri-service command that could
optimally harness the combat power of all three services.

Modern western militaries
follow one of two distinct models. The US, with its global responsibilities,
has independent theatre commands, such as the Pacific Command, Central Command,
etc. Each of these are equipped with land, air and sea units, bureaucrats and
political departments needed for independent campaigns. The theatre commander,
a four-star general or admiral, reports directly to the US president, through
the secretary for defense. In Washington, there is a centralized Joint Chiefs
of Staff Committee (JCSC), headed by a five-star chairman. The army, navy, air
force and marine corps chiefs plan, train and develop human resources, leaving
the theatre commanders free to handle operations independently.

The smaller British, French,
Canadian and Australian militaries place their army, navy, air force and marine
units directly under their respective four-star service chiefs. These service
chiefs answer to a five-star Chief of Defence Staff, who could be from any
service. The CDS reports to the minister in charge of defence.

Army Chief Gen
Singh goes to US with ultra light howitzer purchase list

New Delhi:
Withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and the issue of procurement of
ultra light howitzers are expected to be high on the agenda of Army chief Gen
Bikram Singh during his four-day visit to the US starting today.

During the
three-day tour, Gen Singh would also be inducted in the US Army War College
'Hall of Fame'.

He had done a
course from there in 2004, Army officials said here.

"The visit
assumes special significance in the light of enhanced defence cooperation
between the two countries over the last few years and rapidly increasing
defence engagements under the new framework for India-US defence
relations," an Army release said.

During the India
visit of his US counterpart, Gen Singh had raised the issue of withdrawal of
American troops from Afghanistan and the resultant security situation in the
region after that.

The Indo-US
defence engagement looks all set to be taken forward by the next government
with the high-level Defence Policy Group (DPG) meeting on December 4-6 in
Washington postponed at the behest of the Obama administration. The
postponement comes after the deputy secretary of defence Ashton Carter, who was
assiduously handling the Indian account, demitted office on November 30.

Senior officials
said that the name of former US under-secretary of Navy Robert Orton Work is
doing the rounds as the next US deputy secretary of defence. A former Marine,
Work demitted office at the Navy in March 2013.

While the South
Block is trying to fix a new date for the meeting in February 2014 to be headed
by defence secretary R K Mathur and US under-secretary of defence James Miller,
the chances of date finalisation are minimal till a new deputy secretary of
defence is appointed by president Barack Obama. Even the the apex Senior
Technology Security Group (STSG), which is headed by secretary (defence
production) G C Pati from the Indian side is not likely to meet with the
defence ministry planning to club all the bilateral meetings together. The last
meeting of the umbrella DPG took place in September 2012.

While India has
been outright purchasing arms through the foreign military sales route from the
US, the defence ministry seems reluctant towards joint ventures with the
American defence contractors or moving towards bilateral exercises involving
complex manoeuvres. This is partly due to the historical baggage of the cold
war and partly due to the assumption that China may misconstrue the moves as
India moving into the US camp.

Meanwhile, Indian
Army chief General Bikram Singh is on an official trip to US from December 2 to
6. He will be inducted in the hall of fame at the US College of Combat, where
he is an alumnus. Singh is also scheduled to meet the US army chief and the
under-secretary of army and will have first-hand experience of weapon systems
that the military is looking for. This includes Javelin anti-tank guided
missile and M-777 155 mm ultra-light field howtizers.

http://www.sharnoffsglobalviews.com/army-pakistan-chief-226/

Who is Pakistan’s
New Army Chief?

ISLAMABAD,
Pakistan — Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif has been appointed as the new
military chief of Pakistan’s army and Lieutenant General Rashad Mahmood as the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee at the General Headquarters
(GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Friday after a major reshuffle took place within the Pakistani
military.

General Ashfaq
Perviz Kiyani, who retired on November 28, handed over command of the army to
Raheel Sharif on Friday.

The change of
command occurred at a ceremony held in the Army Hockey Stadium, close to the
GHQ in Rawalpindi which was attended by Pakistani federal ministers, services
chiefs, diplomats and senior serving and retired officers.

Kiyani thanked and
praised military officers and soldiers for their service and sacrifice in
protecting the country and playing their role in the “war on terror.” He also
paid special tribute to those killed during the “war against extremism” that
the country was going through, including the women and children who lost
theirlives.

The Chief of Army
Staff is the most coveted position in the military due to its control of the
intelligence and security services in Pakistan’s 180 million citizens.

Lieutenant General
Raheel Sharif, the head of the world’s sixth-largest army, faces enormous
internal and external challenges. Tension with arch-rival India over disputed
Kashmir is rising over the Line of Control – a boundary which separates the
region in two, with one part under Indian sovereignty and one under Pakistani.

Moreover,
right-wing political parties like Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and Jamaat-e-Islami
are on a strike in northwestern Pakistan demanding the Pakistani government to
sideline itself from the US-led war on terror and to stop US drone strikes in
Pakistani territory. In the meantime, the United States is seeking Pakistan’s
help in bringing peace to Afghanistan ahead of the withdrawal of allied forces
there in 2014.

As the new army
chief, Sharif will face many challenges including the threat posed by religious
extremists in Quetta and Karachi and internal political tensions raised by
right-wing Pakistani political parties demanding an end to US drone strikes and
holding talks with Taliban insurgents.

Will Sharif
continue the fight against the war on terror? If so, he will be tasked to
provide safe supply routes to NATO convoys which use Pakistani roads and ports.
Sharifhas the daunting task of
simultaneously satisfying the demands of Washington and conservative parties in
Pakistan who want a reduced Western influence in the country.

Additionally
Sharif has to make important decisions on Kashmir with India and tackle
religious radicalism in Karachi and Quetta.

Kiyya Qadir Baloch
is a freelance Baloch journalist associated with the Daily Times based in
Islamabad. He reports on foreign affairs, Baloch insurgency, militancy and
sectarian violence in Balochistan. Read other articles by Kiyya.